Districts told to form panels to issue Covid-19 death documents for compensation

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Tuesday asked the district administrations to constitute committees to issue Covid-19 death documents for payment of compensation to the next of kin of those who died in the pandemic.
The district-level committee will comprise of the additional district magistrate, chief district medical and public health officer, principal or head of the department of medicine of a medical college (if a medical college exists in the district) and a subject expert.
“The committee will be responsible for issuance of official document for Covid-19 death. The committee will follow the procedure as outlined in the guideline of Union ministry of health and family welfare (dated September 3),” additional chief secretary (health) R K Sharma wrote to the district collectors and municipal commissioners.
Asking for immediate action, the ACS (health) sought a copy of the collector’s orders forming the committees within three days.
A government officer said compensation of Rs 50,000 each would be soon paid by the office of the special relief commissioner to the next of kin of the deceased. The family member of the deceased has to apply in a designated format. The compensation would be paid from the state disaster response fund for Covid deaths — starting with the first fatality in the country and till Covid-19 is de-notified as a disaster.
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